Federacion Iberiana
GEOGRAPHY The Federacion Iberiana covers the Iberian Peninsula, stretching from the Pyrenees Mountains to Gibraltar in the south, the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast. Madrid is the capital and Valencia the primary port, with major military installations at Barcelona, Madrid, and Málaga. Blue signifies the Federacion, red Legendria, green Veniciana, yellow the United Lordship, orange Jacobugoth, and purple Akaron. The darker blue dot indicates the capital of Madrid. HISTORY PARTITION AND WAR Formed in a partition of the Gebiv Empire at the end of 2008, the Federacion Iberiana was forced immediately to deal with a war raging across the European continent which quickly turned nuclear. While the war never reached Iberian borders, it soon became clear that the military forces of the Federacion would be required to protect our new ally, and an expeditionary force was sent to cover Tintagyl's withdrawal from Hanseatic territory and transfer to the present Australian territory which makes up the Hanseatic Commonwealth. TERRORIST ATTACKS As the recovery effort after the European War kicked into higher gear, the ugly head of terrorism reared over the Federacion. 2011, a revolutionary who had made an empty threat to bomb Gebiv installations prior to Federacion independence, abducted President Esparrago from a social event and transported him to a location in South America. Thanks to the help of the Hanseatic and Confucian diplomatic corps, a Special Operations force was able to rescue the President unharmed and eliminate 2011's organization, though the terrorist himself was never apprehended. PAX IBERICA For a long period following the President's kidnapping, peace reigned in Iberia. The reconstruction effort was finished faster than projected, and a second alliance was formalized with the Norden Kingdom. War returned to Eastern Europe, but the Iberian government managed to remain neutral throughout the conflict. Toward the end of this period, the new Fascist government in Carthage began taking aggressive action towards its neighbors, which led President Esparrago to order several carrier battle groups to patrol just outside of Carthaginian waters. When a popular singer began advocating a change in the Carthaginian government, President Esparrago immediately offered her political asylum, and many believe that this action provided the conditions necessary for the next crisis on the Iberian peninsula. ASSASSINATION As President Esparrago stood above the Pont de Monteolivet in Valencia to announce the formation of the new Ministry of National Intelligence, a sniper situated on the roof of a building across the bridge took his life. Initial evidence, including the rifle recovered at the scene, pointed to the Fascist Carthaginian government, but a Constitutional crisis in succession prevented the Federacion from acting with any rapidity. CIVIL WAR After it was revealed to certain major newspapers that Defense Minister Jerome Sanchez and Minister of National Intelligence Juan Luis de Silva had orchestrated the assassination of President Juan Esparrago and subsequently attempted to pin the murder on agents of Fascist Carthage, the military forces of the Federacion divided between the two camps, represented by the Defense Minister on the one side and the Foreign Minister on the other. The resulting civil war left both sides horribly weakened, paving the way for a third party to step in. PIRATE FEDERATION A seafaring, belligerent faction - which would under other circumstances be labeled either criminal or terrorist - positioned itself to assume power within the Federacion after the Civil War, resulting in the creation of a new "Pirate Federation." This short-lived government devolved very quickly into the anarchy typically ascribed to pirates, and former Foreign Minister Luis Donado was able to reinstate the constitutional parliamentary democracy to which Iberians had become accustomed. While Donado took office in a de facto manner, elections held shortly thereafter confirmed his position as the head of government. TRANSITION TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC After the horrifying experience of pirate rule and total anarchy, the Federacion experienced a long period of almost total communications blackout. Governance was not impressive, to say the least, and nearly every institution has had to be rebuilt. The transitional government has made the fateful decision to reorient its foreign policy to focus on the North Atlantic region. New elections have installed a coalition government tending toward the socialist and the religious parties, with a strong popular mandate to re-establish the Federacion as a major power in Europe and in the North Atlantic region. GOVERNMENT The Federacion Iberiana is governed according to a constitutional parliamentarian model, with the President exercising executive power by virtue of his election by the popularly elected National Assembly. CONSTITUTION The Federacion was formed out of the Gebiv Empire under the Articles of Federation, sometimes referred to as the Iberian Constitution of 2008. This document provides the structure of the Iberian government, and has since been fleshed out with fifteen Amendments. CURRENT GOVERNMENT (20 September 2009) * President: Marc Delgado ** Minister of Foreign Affairs – Angelina Pereira ** Minister of Defense – Sir Hernan Guerra, CCI *** Force Chief of the Army – Joaquin Hernandez *** Force Chief of the Air Force – Gen. David Petraios *** Force Chief of the Navy – Adm. Roberto Jackson *** Force Chief of the Special Operations Command – Gen. Dominica Flores ** Minister of Justice – Simon Bolivario *** Chief of National Police – Aldous Orwell, CB *** Prosecutor General – Amy Chua, CB ** Minister of Education – Diego de los Reyes ** Minister of Energy – Sir Ignacio Llaneira, CCI ** Minister of Finance – Dr. Jaime Caporaso, PhD ** Minister of Internal Affairs – Adrian Barrera ** Minister of National Intelligence - Dr. Jamie Shea, PhD. Supreme Judicial Court: * Chief Justice – Sir Antonio Posneros, CC * Associate Justice – Sir Javier Sierra, CCI * Associate Justice – Atenas Diamante, CB * Associate Justice – Alberto Vaca * Associate Justice – Cristina San Martin National Assembly: * Partido Progresivo (PP) – 23 seats * Confederacion de la Fe (CF) – 21 seats * Partido Central de Iberia (PCI) – 9 seats * Partido Communistico (PC) – 6 seats * Partido Nacionalistico de los Vascos (PNV) – 6 seats MILITARY The Military of the Federacion Iberiana is placed ultimately under the command of the President. MILITARY STRUCTURE Consistent with Articles XIII and XIV of the Articles of Federation, the Military of the Federacion has been organized as follows: * Ejercito de la Federacion (Army) ** Command Group ** Infantry Corps ** Armored Corps * Armada de la Federacion (Navy) ** Carrier Battle Groups (3) ** Marine Landing and Support Force (Permanently seconded to MOE) * Fuerza Aerea de la Federacion (Air Force) ** Strategic Air Command ** Air Combat Command ** Cuerpo de Proyectiles (Missile Corps) *** Conventional Missile Corps *** Special Weapons Missile Corps * Mandato de Operaciones Especiales (Special Operations Command) ---- SYMBOLS OF THE FEDERACION NATIONAL FLAG Amendment XIII to the Articles of Federation states: :"The Flag of the Federacion shall consist of a quartered field, blue and red, with a white Cross forming the division. Centered upon this field shall be the Coat of Arms of the President of the Federacion, which are blazoned as follows: Per pale, Azure, a Petrine Cross Argent, Gules. Collectively, this shall be termed the Iberian Flag, or the National Flag of the Federacion Iberiana, and shall be flown in all domestic circumstances and those international instances which are not military in nature." Red brings to mind the courage and resiliency of the people of the Federacion; Blue, the official color of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition, calls to memory the constancy and honor of the government; the Iberian Cross symbolizes the unity which binds the people and the government together. The coat of arms of the President shows that the leader of our nation is truly its head and its heart, and serves to remind our leader of his responsibilities to our nation. NATIONAL ENSIGN Amendment XIV to the Articles of Federation states: :"The Ensign of the Federacion shall consist of a blue field surmounted by a white Cross. Centered upon this field shall be the Insigne of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition in white. Collectively, this shall be termed the Iberian Ensign, or the National Ensign of the Federacion Iberiana, and shall be flown in any circumstances in which the military forces of the Federacion are acting in support of or in concert with those of the Coalition." The color symbolism from the National Flag carries over into this area, but the President's coat of arms is replaced by the Symbol of the North Atlantic Defense Coalition, signifying our nation's dedication to the defense of the principles for which that alliance stands. PRESIDENT'S COAT OF ARMS The Coat of Arms of the President of the Federacion Iberiana, which are conferred upon each successive President when he or she assumes that post, are described in Amendment XIII to the Articles of Federation: :"Per Pale, Azure, a Petrine Cross Argent, Gules." NOBILITY The Federacion has a merit-based, uninherited system of chivalry. The three ranks which can be awarded are Caballero/Dama Comandante (Knight/Lady Commander), Caballero/Dama de la Cruz Iberiana (Knight/Lady of the Iberian Cross), and Caballero/Dama Bajo/a (Lower Knight/Lady). These ranks are awarded by a five-member panel of Knights and Ladies Commander, none of whom are permitted to be elected or appointed government officials. Knights and Ladies must be granted the rank of Caballero Bajo/Dama Baja before advancing in rank, but there have been cases where Caballeros Bajos have been elevated directly to Caballeros Comandantes. CABALLERO COMANDANTE (CC) Knights and Ladies Commander are granted a personal coat of arms, which reflects their background and personal qualities. They are expected to be leaders of the nation, actively involved in their communities, and above moral or ethical reproach. They must have been a citizen of the Federacion for at least twenty-five years, and may not have any criminal record. There have been approximately four hundred and twenty Knights and Ladies Commander, with some fifty Ladies being added to the rolls posthumously when the Order was opened to both genders. CABALLERO DE LA CRUZ IBERIANA (CCI) Knights and Ladies of the Iberian Cross are not granted personal arms, but are allowed to bear the title "Sir" or "Lady" before their name. While the citizenship requirement is lessened to ten years, the requirements for personal involvement and character are enforced as stringently as for the higher rank. Included in the rolls of this rank are the entirety of the Cabinet and fully half the Supreme Judicial Court, along with most of the major figures in Iberian public life. CABALLERO BAJO (CB) Lower Knights and Ladies are not allowed to bear the formal title of "Sir" or "Lady", nor are they allowed a personal coat of arms. Generally, this rank is awarded as recognition of some significant public service, and while it still carries weight with the public of the Federacion, does not require anything more than that the candidate be a citizen of the Federacion and not be under current sentence of any crime. ---- Category:North Atlantic Defense Coalition Category:Nations of Europe Category:English-speaking nations Category:Spanish-speaking nations Category:CNRP Category:Roleplay